The present invention relates to the patterned selective etching of semiconductor films and particularly to the single atomic layer etching of a crystalline diamond.
With the advent of epitaxial growth techniques, such as molecular beam epitaxy, metal organic chemical vapor epitaxy, and atomic layer epitaxy, the growth of very thin (even single atomic layer) epitaxial crystalline films has become a reality. Numerous new electronic device structures have been created which exploit the ability to grow very thin films of crystalline semiconductor material.
However, device processing of these ultra small, submicrometer scale devices also requires the patterned selective etching of these semiconductor films, but controlled etching processes have not kept pace with the above noted controlled growth processes. In the present state of such controlled etching processes, etching over a crystalline wafer area can be controlled only to within tens of atomic layers and is dependent upon doping uniformity and crystalline perfection.